Houston Republican Debate: Live Coverage

Live Updates

Folks, that's it for us for tonight. For more coverage of the Republican and Democratic presidential primary contests, read The Wall Street Journal and Capital Journal, The Wall Street Journal's online home for politics, policy and national security news.

The other candidates complain that Mr. Trump gets more TV time than they do, and this is good evidence that they're right. But you didn't see Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz lining up with Chris Cuomo to give their analysis.

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Postscript: It's sort of amazing that CNN in the immediate aftermath of the debate gives Donald Trump a few uninterrupted minutes to offer his thoughts on the debate and slam Mr. Rubio.

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POLL: Who won the GOP debate tonight? Vote below:

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Mr. Trump, in his postgame analysis on CNN, dismissed Mr. Rubio as "a choke artist." "Once you're a choke artist, you're always a choke artist," he said. Expect the front-runner to repeat that line over and over again in the coming days, or at least until the next debate a week from tonight in Michigan.

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The big question is whether any of it matters. Mr. Trump's supporters have long accepted his departures from conservative orthodoxy and none of the ground Messrs. Rubio and Cruz covered about Mr. Trump's business career was new.

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So that was, by far, the most lively and fiery Republican debate we've seen this election cycle. Finally, candidates came loaded for battle against Donald Trump. Marco Rubio delivered the most effective attacks against the New Yorker of any candidate so far. He seemed to enjoy himself, unlike the reluctant Jeb Bush or the perpetually grumpy Ted Cruz.

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The most groundbreaking national security development during the debate was the assertion by Mr. Rubio that Apple Inc. should essentially help the Justice Department unlock a phone used by one of the San Bernardino killers. He joined Messrs. Cruz and Carson in this assertion, weighing in on a polarizing national debate.

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Mr. Trump will face even more pressure on this issue when Messrs. Cruz and Rubio release their tax returns in coming days.

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And so far, he has refused. Mr. Trump said he's being audited so he can't release his returns. That's likely a matter of lawyerly prudence more than a legal prohibition. He never explained why he couldn't release past returns where audits have already been closed.

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The real tax news in this debate had little to do with the candidates' plans and everything to do with Donald Trump's tax returns. He got hit from three sides -- Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and, via Twitter, Mitt Romney -- with calls to release his tax returns.

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The debate is over now, readers. Stay tuned a few more minutes for some final thoughts from our reporters and editors here in Washington.

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So neither Mr. Rubio nor Mr. Cruz took advantage of the Spanish-language broadcast audience to address viewers in a language other than English.

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Donald Trump goes last. He blasts politicians in general and says politicians won't be able to make America great the way he would.

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I just spent several days in Nevada with Mr. Cruz. His closing statement consists of verbatim lines right out of his standard stump speech — but they're all favorite applause lines on the trail.

"The votes are starting to count," Marco Rubio says in his closing statement. He asks for "an end to the silliness, this looniness," a clear shot at Mr. Trump without saying his name.

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John Kasich, in his closing statement, opens with his poll numbers against Hillary Clinton. He boasts of his foreign policy experience and says he'll "hit the ground running" as president.

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Ben Carson asks people to "think about what kind of leader you want" and who people want their children to emulate, then in the next breath mentions the movie about his life.

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Ben Carson just quoted Rabbi Hillel: "If not us who, if not now, when?"

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Dr. Ben Carson goes first.

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We're back now with closing statements.

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In that last exchange, Marco Rubio said Puerto Rico's debt crisis can't only be solved by restructuring its debts and rejects a bankruptcy-first option. He blames most of the island's current problems on the existing political leadership while praising the former governor, Luis Fortuno.